FAQ Log in
Search Profile
Memberlist Usergroups
Log in to check your private messages
Register
Jump To: Haelrahv Main Site | My Haelrahv Account | Haelrahv Play Page
Psi and Balance
Post new topic   Reply to topic
The Official Haelrahv Message Forum Forum Index » Magic and Psionics » Psi and Balance
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Downtweak



Joined: 14 Mar 2003
Posts: 389
Location: West of October

 Post Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2004 10:40 am    Post subject: Psi and Balance
Reply with quote

I realize this is going to sound to some like complaining, but:

Is there any chance that psionic abilities (specifically rime cloud, blindness, and paralysis) could be looked at, and possibly given more skill checks? As of now, it seems that their either based entirely, or very heavily, off of mental resistance (as in, if you don't resist, the ability has a 100% chance of success). This is to the exteme that level one characters can come almost directly out of the character generator and stun/blind more or less anyone, even when characters have higher mentality and mental resist, psi ability, etc. <in advance: Yes, I know my mentality sucks. I've tested this against the one of the highest psionics (I no longer know if he's the highest) and against characters I reallocated with maxed psi ability and high mentality/mental resist.>

The problem is two-fold:

A> The skill/stat checks are either non-existant, heavily unbalanced towards the caster, or based so heavily in one area (i.e. mentality and/or psi ability) as to effectively be non-existant for most of the populace. I personally believe it is a combination of the latter two. And if it is the last, I think a lesson can be learned effectively here from DR, who in the last year or so revamped all of its spell contests to bring a wider variety of skills/stats into the fold. This tends to work on two fronts: players who do not focus all of their stats in one area are not victim to those who do, and a deficiency in one area will not leave one at the mercy of much less skilled characters. For instance, rime cloud and paralysis would be based off of both mentality and vitality, more or less balanced on both sides (of course, one needs to account for psi ability). This would mean that a Psionic would need both ment and vit to use this to his max ability, making it much harder to min-max the character by simply focusing everything (race, stat points, etc.) on mentality. On the other hand, level one characters wouldn't simply be able to max out mentality and go to town: a level one alteri psionic can have 15 mentality, whereas a human (picking a profession at random) guardian, training all stats with equal weight, would need to be level 14 to have as much. Were it to also involve vitality, the level 1 psionic would have ([15 ment]x + [5 vit]y) points, where x/y is the balancing ratio between the stats. The guardian, on the other hand, would have 15x+17y points in the contest. It should be obvious that the second scenario is easier to balance fairly.

B> The other side of the problem is that stunning is, by far, the most powerful combat ability available in HR. Stunning not only keeps a character from fleeing or retaliating, but puts a character with very high (read: 175+) evasion at the mercy of very low (read: under 10, likely even 0) weapon skill. I've personally had the pleasure of experiencing this scenario on a number of occaisions.

The second complication with balancing stunning attacks is that there is nothing between stunned and not stunned. If I swing my sword at something, I can miss, I can do 2 damage, or I can do 200 damage (and of course, the effects of the damage are thereby modified by victim's armor, vitality, resistance, etc.). If I cast Stun Philistine, he is either stunned (read: completely helpless) or not stunned (read: about to beat my ass).

This side of the problem could be fixed by scaling the effects based on the stat checks invovled. For instance, blindness would simply produce a perception penalty at the lowest levels, then a perception and weapon skill penalty, then a perception, weapon skill, and defense penalty, then all out blindness if you overwhelm your opponent. Paralysis would inflict increasing amounts of RT on the enemy, stunning only when the checks are heavily in the favor of the caster. Rime cloud already does low amounts of damage, but could also produce RT, drain moderate amounts fatigue, or cause penalties to coordination and agility, and only stun in exteme cases. The point is, none of these effects are digital (on/off) the was stunning is, and thus can be scaled and balanced accordingly.
_________________
-Downtweak

Code:
They hate me because I am the accumulation of the knowledge of Death.  That knowledge is a curse to them instead of a useful burden.

-Nef; From the Dust Returned
 Back to top »
View user's profile Send private message
HR-Trevor
Boss Type Guy


Joined: 04 Oct 2002
Posts: 6683
Location: Louisville, KY

 Post Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2004 11:49 am    Post subject:
Reply with quote

Neifl, these are entirely valid points and I don't mind that it sounded like bitching... it didn't so much really, but even if so, I can understand being frustrated by it.

Unfortunately, making major changes to how all of this works (especially a scaled system for stuns and blindness) would require a lot of reworking of systems which, with the current stuff on my plate plus the live build, I don't really have time to do.

Right now, the check is, more or less, mentality vs. mentality. There is a random factor in there, and magic armor is considered... but it boils down to a battle of mentality. Now, I do have sympathy for the situations, but at the same time, your average stat is 46 and your mentality is ... 3. You haven't trained it to even elementary levels. Doing so would provide a good deal of protection beyond what you have now. I realize you're stretched thin because so many stats are vital to you, and I know mentality is a +1 stat for you as Jaddan, but still I think it seems fair to think in your specific case that some of this could be avoided.

But don't get me wrong, I understand your point as it applies to characters in general. In live we will be making resistances based in great part on skills that anyone can train reasonably regardless of profession. But in the test, options are limited without fairly sizeable amounts of work.
_________________
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." -- Plato

-- Trevor Rage / Rich Mondy
 Back to top »
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Downtweak



Joined: 14 Mar 2003
Posts: 389
Location: West of October

 Post Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2004 12:23 pm    Post subject:
Reply with quote

Quote:
Right now, the check is, more or less, mentality vs. mentality. There is a random factor in there, and magic armor is considered... but it boils down to a battle of mentality. Now, I do have sympathy for the situations, but at the same time, your average stat is 46 and your mentality is ... 3. You haven't trained it to even elementary levels. Doing so would provide a good deal of protection beyond what you have now. I realize you're stretched thin because so many stats are vital to you, and I know mentality is a +1 stat for you as Jaddan, but still I think it seems fair to think in your specific case that some of this could be avoided.


I knew this would come up, I've played a bit with increasing mentality and didn't find it as helpful as I'd hoped, so I probably won't be training mentality any time soon. INT is much more beneficial in terms of exp systems, and MENT's role in the stat boosting psi doesn't impress me.

In the long run, it won't end up being anything more than an inconvenience- as it affects me only in PvP, and I don't much mind dying- though it is frustrating as all hell. And the changes to shield should also go a long ways in combating this tactic.
_________________
-Downtweak

Code:
They hate me because I am the accumulation of the knowledge of Death.  That knowledge is a curse to them instead of a useful burden.

-Nef; From the Dust Returned
 Back to top »
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
The Official Haelrahv Message Forum Forum Index » Magic and Psionics » Psi and Balance
Post new topic   Reply to topic All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Top Index




Solaris phpBB theme/template by Jakob Persson
Copyright © Jakob Persson 2003



Powered by phpBB 2.0.22 © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group